Valentine’s Day going out guide: Don’t follow the clichéd crowd…

Valentineâs neednât mean yawning through a candlelit dinner â we round up BritainâsÂ best dates with a difference, from a burlesque club night to a comedy gig in a hotel.

Love match: A bit of rock, paper, scissors is a great Valentineâs Day alternative

Old school romancingDig out the 1940s tea dress and dust down the tweed suit: itâs time to date the vintage way. London is awash with suitable events. The Vintage Nights season at Canary Wharf, for example, features a Valentineâs Tea Dance, a Grease singalong and free screenings in the Vintage Mobile Cinema (Feb 14-17; http://www.canarywharf.com).

If youâre after real postwar celluloid charm, check out The Other Cinemaâs immersive event at The Troxy. Dress in old school black tie for a screening of the classic Brief Encounter while usherettes serve fake ciggies and sweets. Organised by the troupe behind Secret Cinema, the film willÂ be screened simultaneously at venues in Edinburgh, Leeds, Birmingham and Norwich on February 14 (Feb 14-18; £15-£20; http://www.theothercinema.org).

Poke funAvoid taking Valentineâs too seriously and opt for a night of giggles at Daveâs Leicester Comedy Festival. Itâs serving up a packed bill on V Day, including comic Jason Cook with Love And All That Nonsense at Firebug bar, as well as Hennessy & Friends: A Valentineâs Day Massacre! headed by Miranda Hennessy (of C4âs PhoneShop) at The Belmont Hotel (until Feb 19; http://www.comedy-festival.co.uk).

Strip offToo shy to get your kit off? Offload the responsibility and let someone else do it at one of Britainâs top burlesque and cabaret nights. Bush Hall in London has scheduled The Hootchy KootchyÂ Roadshow on Saturday, starring saucy showgirls and Vaudeville variety (Feb 11; Â£15-Â£39.50; http://www.bushhallmusic.co.uk).

And Club Noir presents Saturday Night At The Movies at the O2 Academy Glasgow, which includes DJ sets and burlesque shows inspired by movie romance (Feb 11; £15.50; http://www.clubnoir.co.uk).

Set the sceneIf period drama does it for you, hunt for some of Britainâs most romantic set locations. Lyme Park in Cheshire is ideal for Pride & Prejudice admirers looking for Pemberley (www.nationaltrust.org.uk).

If youâre a Downton Abbey fan, head to Highclere Castle near Newbury, where the TV show is filmed. The castle is closed until Easter but various walks take you close to it (www.highclerecastle.co.uk).

Stage the eveningForget the movies and go to the theatre instead. Nottinghamâs Theatre Royal is planning a short run of The Kingâs Speech, with the wonderful Charles Edwards as the troubled George VI (www.trch.co.uk).

If youâre in London, book to seeÂ Gershwin musical Crazy For You at Novello Theatre (http://crazyforyouthe musical.com). Or, for something more emotional, try the romantic Lovesong at Lyric Hammersmith (www.lyric.co.uk).

Get your geek onThereâs nothing like a molecular discovery to get pulses racing. OK, perhaps not, but Brightonâs Science Festival is a different way to generate chemistry. It has lots of quirky events, with Valentineâs Day hosting the Pocket Science Funfair atÂ Latest Music Bar, with explorations such as âguess the weight of the cakeâ (Feb 14; Â£3-Â£5; http://www.brightonscience.com)

Find a dateStuck for someone to love? V-ShedâsÂ Valentine Rock Paper Scissors in Bristol may have the answer. The dating challenge will see girls battling boys in rounds of the game in a bid to find a potential love match (Feb 14; Â£15; http://ukrockpaperscissorschampionships.com).